Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a method for the ventilation of a living being. Furthermore, the invention relates to a ventilation device having at least one controllable air delivery unit, at least one airflow meter, at least one pressure sensor, and having at least one programmable control unit and a valve control device having at least one pressure control valve, at least one airflow meter, at least one pressure sensor, and having at least one programmable control unit.
Background Description
In general, the invention relates to the field of the ventilation of patients having respiratory problems. COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease) patients are cited as an example, especially those having hypercapnic respiratory insufficiency. In these patients, structural changes have occurred in the lungs because of various illnesses, which require increased work of the respiratory musculature in order to ensure sufficient gas exchange. As the illness progresses, the respiratory musculature is increasingly exhausted, as a result of which shortness of breath feelings can occur during respiration even upon very slight exertion. In pronounced cases, the respiratory musculature and the respiratory drive, in particular even at night while asleep, is no longer capable of compensating for the structural changes of the lungs by increased respiratory depth and increase of the respiratory frequency.
Ventilation devices have been proposed for supporting such patients, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,105,575 or 6,240,919 B1. In such devices, it is provided that an inspirational pressure controlled by the ventilation device is supplied to the patient via a ventilation mask during inhalation (Inspiratory Postive Airway Pressure or IPAP) and an expirational pressure controlled by the ventilation device is supplied during exhalation (Expiratory Positive Airway Pressure or (EPAP). The ventilation devices adjust themselves automatically to the patient. A typical pressure support for IPAP is 10 to 30 mbar, for example,and is in the range from 4 to 10 mbar for EPAP. The prevailing opinion is that the pressure amplitude is to be as high as possible in the scope of acceptance of the patient, in order to ensure the best possible respiration support.
However, some studies in the ventilation of COPD patients have shown that an enlargement of the pressure amplitude, i.e., the difference between IPAP and EPAP, does not result in the desired relief of the respiratory musculature, but rather frequently results in increased hyperinflation of the lungs.